Game-board.



N PATENTED OCT. 17 1905.

o 8O1903 W. G. PAXTON.

GAME BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2a. 1905.

FFTQE.

WILLIAM G. PAXTON, OF HAMMOND, INDIANA.

GAME-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1905.

Application filed January 23, 1905. Serial No. 242,353-

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. PAXTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hammond, in the county of Lake and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improyement in Game-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a construction of game-board which will enable four persons to play a game or gamessuch as, for instance, checkersat the same time, the four persons playing as partners, if so desired, for two opposing sides.

The objects of the invention are to construct a board having alternating spaces of difierent colors and divided by a cross-line, forming on opposite sides of the cross-line two boards-as, for instance, two checkerboardseach of which is adapted for the placement on the spaces of men arranged to play the game of checkers with a variation of the movement as to the kings, for instance, each board enabling an independent game of checkers to be played thereon; to enable four persons to play a game resembling checkers, for instance, in its main phase, two persons playing as partners, one partner for each section or division of the board and have one partner assist the other partner after a king has been obtained; to furnish a game adapted to be played by four persons arranged as partners, one partner assisting his or her companion-player or partner after a king has been obtained by moving the king across the dividing-line between the two divisions or sections of the board, and to enable a variety of games to be played by four persons under conditions by which one partner can assist the other partner when the men by which the game is played have reached the dignity of a king or double man.

The invention consists in the construction of board and the game played thereon, as

The sections or divisions for playing the game can be made on a piece of wood or other suitable material A with a border or plain surface a, surrounding the sections or divisions of the game-board. The playing-board for the game consists of a section B and a section 0, each section or division divided into an equal number of spaces with the spaces defined one from the other by different colors-- as, for instance, white and black, white and red, black and red, or other contrasting colors. As shown, the section or division B has alternating spaces 7) and b in a row of four each and eight deep, making in all thirty-two spaces of the same color and thirty-two spaces of a different color; but, in playing, thirty two spaces of the same color are numbered consecutively from left to right from 1 to 32, both inclusive.

As shown, the section or division C has alternating spaces 0 and c in a row of four each and eight deep, making in all thirty-two spaces of the same color and thirty-two of a difierent color; but, in playing, thirty-two spaces of the same color are numbered consecutively fromleft to right from 1 to 32, both inclusive.

While it is desired to number the spaces to be occupied by the men with which the game is to be played, it is to be understood that the numbers can be omitted, if so desired.

It will be seen that the two sections or divisions B and C of the board proper are exact duplicates of each other and are separated by a dividing-line cl, making each section or division independent of the other so far as regards the placement of the man and the conducting of the game except as hereinafter described in playing the game.

The men can be round disks of wood or other suitable material or of any other desired shape. The disks or men are set for each section or division of the board on opposite sides, using th ree rows'of the numbered spacesthat is, have one side of the division or section B white men or disks 6 to the number of twelve occupy the three rows on the spaces numbered from 21 to 32, both inclusive, and have the other side of the section or division B of the board red men or disks-f to the number of twelve occupy the three rows on the spaces numbered from 1 to 12, both inclusive. For the companion division or section C of the board black men or disks .9 to the number of twelve occupy the three rows on the spaces numbered from 21 to 32, both inclusive, and for the other side of the section or division U of the board blue men or disks it to the number of twelve occupy the three rows on the spaces numbered from 1 to 12, both inclusive.

The set of men or disks for each section or division of the board, as above described, is the arrangement for playing an ordinary game of checkers on each section or' division of the board, and for one type of game which can be played on the board the opposing players can be played as partners, the two partners occupying the side of the board having the white or black men or disks thereon and the opposing partners occupying the side of the board having the white and blue men or disks thereon. The two partners pay no attention to the movement of the men by each, each partner playing the game irrespective of the movements of the men or disks by the partner until one side has succeeded in placing a man or disk in the first or outer row of the opposing side, entitling the man or disk so entered into the outer row to be kinged or crowned or made double, allowing such crowned man or disk to move backward and forward diagonally on a row of spaces, instead of forward only, as in the movement of single men for kings in the ordinary game of checkers. After a partner has succeeded in making a king or double man assistance can be rendered the companion partner by moving the crowned or double man across the dividing-line (Z into the other section or division of the board on which the partner is playing; but such movement of the king or double man or disk is under certain restrictions -as.for instance, if there is a single man of either color in the pathway of travel from one section or-division to the other the king or double man cannot pass the single man, nor can a king jump a single man at the division-line to enter the opposite section or division of the board, though a king may jump a king to enter the opposite section or division of the board.

As an illustration, an arrangement of men or disks is shown in Fig. 2 for the two sections or divisions of the board where a game has been played to a point where the section or division B has a king or double man a on spaces 1 and 8 and a single man 6 on space 9 for the white men or disks, with adouble man or king f on the space 18 and a single man or disk f on the space 2 for the red men or disks, and the other section or division G of the board has kings or double men g on the spaces 6 and 7 and a single man or disk 9 on the spaces 17 for the blue men, with a king or double man on the space 15 and a single man or disk It on the spaces 5 and 26 for the black men,and when the game has been played to a point where the men or disks are as on the two sections or divisions of Fig. 2 the one playing the blue men on the section C can move a king gdiagonally on the spaces 9 and 13 across the dividing-line into the space 20 to assist the partner on the section or division B, and from the space 20 the king or double man 9 can move diagonally on the spaces 16, 11, and 7 or diagonally on the spaces 24:, 27, and 31 and then diagonally from either one of the spaces 16, 11, and 7 or 24, 27, and 31, as may be best to help the partner, and in moving from the space 6 of the section or division C of the board the double man or king can move one space at a time, as in playing the game of checkers, or the movement could be a single one to occupy the space 20, if so desired; according to the rule governing the king. The one playing the white men on the division or section B of the board can go to the assistance of the partner on the division or section 0 of the board by moving the king or double man a, occupying the space 8, diagonally onto the space 12 and into the space 13 of the division or section 0 of the board, and from this space could assist the partner by the necessary moves.

It will be understood that the partners play, respectively, the men or disks 6 and g for the two sections or divisions of the board and the men or disks f and it for the two sections or divisions of the board, and after the game has reached a point where both sides have kings or double men the one playing the disks or men a can go to the assistance of his partner playing the disks or men g, and vice versa, and the one playing the disks or men f can go to the assistance of the partner playing the men or disks 6, and vice versa, such assistance, however, not coming intoplay until the men or disks have been entered into the first or king row of the opposing side, and in no case can a single man cross the dividing-line (Z from one section or division of the board, nor can a king enter a section or division of the board where there is an opposing man or disk in the way.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that four persons can play at the same time two games of the checkers, if so desired, each of two opponents playing the game on one division or section of the board, and the game can be played the same as an ordinary game of checkers until a king or double man has been obtained, when the game can be varied by having the king or double man go to the assistance of the men on the opposite section or division of the board.

The game can be played under a variety of rules or conditionsas, for instance, the movement of king or double men can be governed by an open diagonal line of travel, one space at a time, until a man is reached, when the line of travel must be changed to pass around the opposing or interfering man or disk, or the double man or king can be given a line of travel into the opposite section or division of the board where the way is clear from the space occupied by the double man or king into an unoccupied space in the opposing section or division. The board formed of tWo sections or divisions enables four persons to play a game of checkers at one and the same time, two persons playing as partners, and by allowing one partner to assist the other When a king or double man has been obtained the game can be made very entertaining and complex.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A flat game-board consisting of two sections lying in the same plane, each of the sections having thereon diversely-color'ed squares forming a complete checker-board on each secas described.

WILLIAM G. PAXTON. Witnesses:

OSCAR W. BOND, WALKER BANNING 

